SRON Space Research Organisation Netherlands recently hosted a workshop at its facilities in Leiden, the Netherlands, to discuss the technological roadmap for a potential X-ray Interferometer (XRI) demonstrator mission, aimed at advanced space observation in the mid-2040s. As part of this initiative, cosine was invited to present its SPO technology, which is leveraged in the manufacturing and delivery of ultra-precise X-ray mirrors for this mission.
The workshop brought together organizations working on key technologies for the proposed XRI mission. Participants reviewed the current status of various development activities, explored collaboration opportunities, and discussed potential funding paths. Attendees included representatives from cosine, SRON, the University of Leicester, the Open University, INFN Pisa, ESA, TU Delft, and the University of Amsterdam.
cosine’s team delivered a presentation on “the manufacturing of high-precision optics for an X-ray interferometer demonstrator.” This effort will be led by cosine’s High Energy Optics (HEO) development team and carried out at the company’s state-of-the-art facilities in Sassenheim, the Netherlands. The project builds upon cosine’s advanced Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology, originally developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the NewAthena mission.
Through its contribution to this pioneering initiative, cosine continues to expand its expertise in high-precision X-ray optics. The XRI project highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to translating cutting-edge research into practical, transformative technologies for space science.
To learn more about cosine’s expertise in high-energy optics and our role in advancing space instrumentation, check out our business unit page.
Pushing the limits of space observation
The core aim of the collaboration is to demonstrate the feasibility of ultra-high-resolution X-ray imaging in space using interferometry. The technical goal is to achieve an angular resolution below 100 microarcseconds (0.5 nanoradians) in X-ray, matching the level of detail captured by the Event Horizon Telescope when it imaged the super-massive black hole in M87 in millimeter radio waves. This approach offers two key advantages. First, X-rays are better suited to study the energetic, violent processes around black holes and neutron stars. Second, the entire X-ray interferometer can fit on a single spacecraft rather than spanning the Earth.
SRON is realising a laboratory testbed interferometer with X-ray mirrors from cosine, as a first step on the road to a mission that opens up entirely new possibilities for observing the universe at unprecedented levels of detail.
About cosine
cosine is a leading worldwide company in the development of space instrumentation, such as Silicon Pore Optics for astronomy and remote sensing solutions with onboard analytics for Earth Observation and planetary science. cosine combines physics and technology to bring out-of-the-box solutions to its clients. cosine has been developing and delivering innovative measurement systems for space and industrial applications since 1998. The company operates more than 1,000 m2 of cleanrooms and high-tech assembly facilities to build and test the systems we produce for customers at our headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands and at offices in Berlin, Germany and Benevento, Italy.
